1999
by ShaelynnSophia
Summary: Harry comes back to Hogwarts in 1999 to watch the Quidditch Cup and reunite with Ginny.


Disclaimer: I, sadly, am not the creator of any of these characters, they are the property of J.K. Rowling.

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Harry could see the Daily Prophet reporter sitting at the front of the bleachers. He himself had chosen the back row to avoid being recognized. It was stupid really, these weren't bad people, but for once he just wanted to be alone.

You would think after a year he would be used to it, all the added attention, yet Harry still cringed every time he heard a stranger call his name.

"Harry!" He smiled when he heard that particular voice, knowing that it was one of the few that didn't require flinching.

"Hermione," he greeted his friend, who was wearing familiar Gryffindor robes. For a minute, as she graciously took the seat next to him, he felt like he was just a student again.

"Is Ron coming?" Hermione was cautious in her words, unsure if she actually wanted to know the answer.

Harry sighed and shook his head. "He's with George again, I'm really not sure what they're up to anymore."

He didn't know what else to say, and Hermione seemed content with not speaking, as she chose to turn her gaze intently on her thumbnail. This left Harry to stare out at the empty pitch as a few minutes ticked by with no words passing between the friends.

The school had made it clear that everyone was invited to the Quidditch Cup, and plenty of people had clearly accepted the invitation. The stands were filled with students, parents, and alumni alike. Harry felt weird counting himself as one of the latter, and yet it was somewhat true. He would never come back to Hogwarts as a student.

As the players were announced and took their positions on the field, Hermione turned to him. "You really should go talk to her Harry. She spent all fall waiting for Christmas and then you didn't show. I think you owe her something. An apology, an explanation, anything really, just don't make her wait forever."

Harry looked down at the redheaded girl captaining the Gryffindor team, and he knew Hermione was right. Ginny had been nothing but patient with him and he'd stood her up time and time again.

"Would you wait forever?"

His words startled Hermione as a piercing whistle signalled the beginning of the game. "The bottom line is I shouldn't have to," she finally said. "The right guy wouldn't ask me to."

He nodded, because as always Hermione was right. If he truly loved Ginny like he thought he did, there was no reason he needed to keep his distance.

"I'll be back," Harry said with no further explanation, as Demelza scored the first points of the game for Gryffindor.

He descended the bleachers with his face shielded from the crowd out of habit. In his haste to do so he ran straight into another body.

"Harry," the girl smiled, with no surprise evident in her voice. "I had a feeling I'd find you here."

He grinned, it had been quite some time since he'd seen this particular blonde haired individual. "It's so good to see you Luna."

"Are you here to see Ginny?" Luna asked, twirling a strand of hair between her fingers. "I told her I've been writing to you but she didn't much care. Or maybe she did, I can never quite tell if she is covering something."

"Maybe," there was no other way to put it than that. "If Gryffindor loses I can't say it'll be a good time to talk though." He tried to make light of the situation, but he should've known not to bother with Luna.

She shrugged, staring up at the afternoon sky. "With your logic it may never be the right time." She shifted her gaze to him, "but you already knew that, didn't you?"

He felt the need to stand up for himself, but couldn't. "I should probably get back to my seat before I miss the whole game."

Luna nodded, "it's a terrible burden to leave things unsaid." Her solemn expression vanished after the last word left her mouth. "Say hello to Hermione for me."

When he reached his seat once more, Harry had made up his mind.

Hermione glared at him, "you missed Ginny nearly get killed by a bludger."

His face faltered for a moment but he quickly hid it. "Luna says hi." Taking a glance at the scoreboard, Harry realized Gryffindor had earned over sixty points, he must have been gone for longer than he realized.

"You know," Hermione said holding her wand between her fingers. "I really could care less about Quidditch but I've been to every match this year." She smiled thinking back on the memories. "Ginny even dragged me to a few practises. She's really phenomenal, you know that Harry?"

"At Quidditch?" He said as if the answer was obvious.

"No," Hermione laughed, "I mean in general, as a person. I swear she has nearly a dozen substitutes on the team, and not because she needs them but because it was an excuse for them to come to practise so that they could get better."

"I know she is," he mumbled, quiet enough that Hermione could barely hear.

As she opened her mouth, to no doubt reprimand him again, cheers erupted from the crowd and the game was over. Just like that, Gryffindor had caught the snitch and it wall all finished. For a minute Harry missed it terribly, as he watched the team lift their captain into the air and listened as many in the crowd called out her name. Part of him wanted to share the moment with her, but at the same time he knew she and she alone deserved this glory.

Many would argue that it was just another Quidditch Cup come and gone. What made 1999 any different from the other years? To Harry it wasn't the fact that it was any different, but the fact that it was the same. The survivors persevered and they came back stronger than ever before. Not to mention the fact that there were arguments over whether the 98/99 Hogwarts season would even be a reality, but the students made it happen, Ginny made it happen.

1999 was not the year of a great war or of the defeat of any great wizards for that matter, but it was the year of rebirth, a year that should not be left out from any history texts.

Harry stayed with his thoughts in the stands for much longer than he should have. Hermione left quite suddenly with the rest of the crowd to celebrate with the team, leaving just Harry staring out at the expansive pitch.

When he finally got up he went straight to the middle of the field to try and remember what it had felt like when he'd called the school home. Everything looked clearer from down there, and almost all of it felt different.

It took him an embarrassing period of time to realize he was not alone. They stayed there for one moment, just watching each other. Her hair glistened and her eyes glowed, his glasses sat crooked and his face formed a smile.

In seconds she was in his arms. The only thing ruining the moment were the months that had passed.

"I missed you," she whispered in his ear before they separated.

It was his turn to speak and his palms sweated as he was unsure how the situation would play out. "I'm sorry."

She looked stunned at the words he had just spoken. "Harry, you needed space and I needed to get through this year, there is nothing you need to be sorry about." She sighed at his hesitation towards her words. "Come on," she offered her hand, "let's go eat something."

As they walked he took her in once more. She looked good, really good, better than Ron or George or even Percy.

When they reached the door she stopped, biting her lip. "There were scouts watching," she finally blurted out. "I know I'm probably crazy, but there's a chance I could keep playing next year."

"A chance?" Harry laughed. "You were fantastic out there Ginny; if they don't want you they're crazy."

"You think?" She asked trying to supress a grin.

"I know." He squeezed her hand and together they walked inside, not stopping until they reached the Gryffindor table where they were met with endless excitement.

After Ginny was enveloped by her classmates, Harry made his way towards two familiar faces sitting with the rest of the graduates.

"Bill, Fleur," he said as he sat down across from them. "I didn't notice you in the stands or I would've come and said hello."

"We were actually a bit late," Bill said setting down his fork. "Mum and Dad really wanted to come but they got caught up with something or other. I see you found Ginny," he said nodding to where his sister stood with her friends.

"Yeah," Harry said blushing mildly. "I'm glad I did, it's been a while."

"It definitely has." Fleur kicked her husband under the table and Harry's cheeks intensified at Bill's words.

Before anyone could say anything else Ginny slid in beside Harry. She beamed at her older brother, "I didn't know you were here."

"We wouldn't miss it for the world," Fleur said, her accent as apparent as ever.

Ginny smiled at Fleur and Harry very nearly laughed, thinking back on how she used to despise her sister-in-law. "Has the Harpies' witch found you yet?" Harry asked when Bill and Fleur became engrossed in a conversation with another couple.

"How did you know she was the one I'm waiting for?"

"Your family is practically my family," he shrugged. "Even though we haven't kept in touch I knew you were hoping for the Harpies."

They fell easily into a pattern of eating and talking, and before they knew it dessert was over and most of the guests had left. They walked Bill and Fleur to the door and when a Hufflepuff boy congratulated Ginny, Harry held her hand a little tighter. He didn't think she noticed but she was just very good at covering things.

As he had started to suspect, the Harpies witch waited until the last moment to show herself. "I'll wait outside," Harry said pushing Ginny towards her future.

For all he knew an eternity may have passed while he waited outside, but as he paced back and forth, he was oblivious to everything, including time. All he kept thinking was how in one day, so much had changed.

When Ginny eventually came through the door, he had decided on exactly what he was going to say. Yet he didn't get a word of it out as in a blink she was there, her lips pressed upon his in pure elation. He deepened the kiss and she entangled her fingers in his hair.

1999 may not have been a standout year for many, but for Harry and Ginny, it was the year they ended up where they needed to be.

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A/N

Hello wonderful readers,

I have missed this platform very much over the last year. I have been doing a lot of debating over whether or not I should come back, and I am happy to say I am currently working on a new untitled Marauder's story that I will be publishing in the new year. For those of you following my Selection story, I am sorry to say it will likely not be finished.

As for this particular story, I wrote it in May 2017 and posted it on Tumblr, but I forgot to publish it here. That being said, it is coming straight from there without any edits, so hopefully, you all enjoy it. I have taken a lot of university-level English courses in the time since I last wrote fanfiction, so we'll see if it shows in my 2019 work!

Best wishes,

Shaelynn Sophia


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